New Delhi Indie Travel Guide

Okay, let’s get one thing straight, New Delhi is actually just a district
in the monstrous city of Delhi in India. New Delhi contains the capital of India
so it’s confusing and many people think they are separate cities so don’t
feel bad if you fall into this group. With a population of around 13 million Delhi
can seem chaotic every hour of the day. There is a lot to see here, but to be
honest you’d be best off figuring out the things you’d like to do
and going through them as quickly as you can before moving on to someplace less
insane.

What To Do

Delhi is the closest big city to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, and instead of staying
in Agra most people prefer to take a train to Agra in the morning and then come
back the same day. There are special buses in Agra that meet the train and offer
full city tours of the Taj and several other attractions and this is a great way
to see it without having to relocate to the raggedy city of Agra for the night.
But Delhi has plenty of attractions of its own. The massive Red Fort should be
on everyone’s list. This sandstone fort was completed in 1648 for the same
emperor who commission the Taj Mahal and the striking design will make up for
its deteriorating condition inside.

The Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple is an architectural masterpiece in East Delhi.
This recently opened temple contains 10,000 years of India’s art and culture
and is a great way to learn a lot about India in a short time, especially if you
are in a mood to get out of the city quickly. Connaught Place looks really cool
on the map, but this former colonial center has seen better days although there
are a lot of decent hotels in this area.

Most hotels can arrange for a city tour with a local driver. Since the city is
so spread out this can be a great option, particularly if you want to see a lot
but don’t want to linger too long in this chaotic city. Amazingly enough
these private tours can be rather cheap so even singles or small groups can afford
to be chauffeured around by a guide.

Getting There

If you are already in India you may consider using the country’s extensive
train network to reach Delhi, but if you are coming from anywhere else you’ll
want to book
a flight into Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (code: DEL).
Being a huge city and the capital there are many carriers flying into Delhi
so deals are not too hard to come by. The airport is not near the city center,
but you can hire a prepaid taxi to your hotel from a booth in the airport. Some
hotels will provide a taxi for free so there is extra incentive to book ahead.

Where To Stay

There are loads of hostels
in Delhi and even more hotels
in Delhi, but they aren’t as cheap as in most of the rest of the country.
The cheapest well located places tend to be in the notorious backpacker ghetto
called the Paharganj. It can be fun, but it’s crowded and run down so
if that doesn’t appeal to you consider a nicer place near Connought Place.